Thor Muller is the cofounder andformer chief technology officer of GetSatisfaction, a groundbreaking online customer community platform used by over 65,000 companies. A five-time serial entrepreneur, Thor also started one of the world's first Web design agencies in 1995, later acquired by Frog Design. Lane Becker has been working onthe Web since it began, from settingup web sites at his university in 1994 to cofounding Adaptive Path, the world'sfirst user experience design firm, andGet Satisfaction. Lane is also an advisor to Freestyle.vc, an early-stage Internet venture capital fund.

1 Prepare for the Unpreparable 1

2 Skill: Motion--Breaking Out 29

3 Skill: Preparation--Anatomy of a Geek Brain 53

4 Skill: Divergence--The Garden of Forking Paths
81

5 Skill: Commitment--Burning the Ships 103

6 Skill: Activation--Church vs. Stadium 127

7 Skill: Connection--Needle in a Haystack 157

8 Skill: Permeability--Storming the Castle 177

9 Skill: Attraction--Magnetic Fields 203

10 Unraveling the Double Bind 227

Serendipiography 235

Acknowledgments 261

About the Authors 263

Index 265

"You've heard the old saw, 'Chance favors
prepared minds.' Well, Get Lucky is the mind-preparer.
This entertaining and practical book makes it clear that luck
isn't just for the lucky anymore."

--Dan Heath, co-author, Switch and Made to
Stick
"Louis Pasteur and Thomas Jefferson would have endorsed this
book. It's a profound explication of an idea they each shared, that
luck isn't random, and that you can create the conditions where it
flourishes. It's a refreshing reminder that the spark of human
creativity leaps into flame when we establish the right
conditions."

--Tim O'Reilly, CEO of O'Reilly Media

"We live in a world that is more and more volatile and
unpredictable, where 'luck' plays an increasingly
central role. By the end of this book, you will never again view
planning luck as a contradiction, but rather as an imperative that
cannot be ignored. Whether in your personal life or professional
life, open yourself up to the profound possibilities of
serendipity."

--John Hagel, co-chairman, Center for the Edge; and
co-author, The Power of Pull

"Serendipity has been part of our not-so-secret sauce at
Zappos from the very beginning. We've seen first-hand how
breakthroughs are so often due to the spontaneous collisions
between people and ideas. Get Lucky provides a framework for
understanding how serendipity works, and shows how it can be used
as a practice in life and business."

--Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com, Inc.; bestselling author,
Delivering Happiness

"In a fast-moving world, seemingly random customer
comments on sites like Facebook can make your year or sink your
ship. Get Lucky prepares you and your organization well to
recognize and act on these serendipitous moments. Don't leave your
success to chance!"

--Charlene Li, Founder of Altimeter Group; author
Groundswell and Open Leadership

"In business, we plan to avert disaster, launch products,
and forecast financials, but rarely do we plan to 'get
lucky.' Thor and Lane's method of planned serendipity
should be part of every innovator's toolkit."

--Beth Comstock, chief marketing officer, GE

"Customers already run your company-and are moving farther
out of your control every day. Fortunately, Thor and Lane are here
to explain why this is the best possible thing that can happen, and
how to make the most of it."

--Doc Searls, co-author, The Cluetrain Manifesto and
The Intention Economy